28' riverboat Cindy Lou

That's a little unclear to me... I would think you would assemble everything and then encapsulate it all. That way you would have wood to wood joints glued with a primary bond of epoxy, where if you encapsulate all and then assemble, you would have epoxy to epoxy joints with a secondary bond of epoxy glue. ?

 

I'm completely inexperienced with epoxy, so I'll definitely have someone looking over my shoulder when I start. But it seems to me that if I encapsulate the pieces of a frame assembly first, then fasten them together with screws and more epoxy within the time frame recommended for recoating, I should be fine.

 

By the way, my C-Head toilet came in this morning -- a day early. That's unusual, for something shipped cross-country via USPS....

I took pic's, but don't have any way to download them from my camera's SD card to a company computer. As soon as I can get to my personal laptop, I'll post them.

 

Sam, most all boats are built with large numbers of secondary bonds. If you encapsulate after assembly, you run the risk of not getting every square inch coated. On the other hand, if you are careful and diligent about joint making, then you can you can encapsulate whole "assemblies" afterward. For example you could do the frame joints, then go back and do the frame after. The real problem arises when assembled parts, limit access to areas that have yet to be coated. With some forethought and planning, which isn't a common commodity in back yard builds, you coat coat all the hidden and poor access areas before installation, but usually you don't recognize these locations, until after you've got things together and are attempting to apply goo. It works both ways, but one is easier than the other.

 

The C-Head unwrapped:















That black thingy is a ventilator hood, for a five-gallon bucket used as a secondary collection receptacle. If you go out on weekends and holidays, you can probably keep that bucket at home somewhere with the hood on it, and let the contents keep composting. If you're out more than that, or carry a crowd, you can keep the bucket aboard and vent it through the deck or cabin top. If you have room in the head for it, you can daisy-chain the toilet and holding bucket to a solar vent, using the hoses supplied.

 

That's pretty much what I need!

Question???? Could you use a sliding door on the head from the "hall" and extend the galley further back, maybe an upper utility cabinet open to the galley for counter space, micro etx. ?

Great plan!

Nice head, how it the smell management accomplished?

 

I suppose you can get as flexible as you want with the interior, as long as you aren't messing with structural elements. I'd say the interior bulkheads (walls) are structural, so I wouldn't want to move them around without talking to Paul Riccelli (aka PAR) first. He's the designer, and I'm sure he'll work with you on any changes if you buy a set of plans.

Most of the odor management in the C-Head is handled by stirring the solids into the peat moss; it coats them and desiccates them, and that alone may be good enough for light use. Keep in mind that the urine is separated from the solids; combining the two is what makes traditional composting toilets stinky.

If you do need to ventilate it, you cut a hole in the body of the toilet and add a vent hose to outside. If natural convection doesn't do the job, there are small solar-powered fans that will run day and night. Or so I've been told....

Here are links to the C-Head home page and the owner's manual, where you can get more detailed info on the venting (or anything else).

http://www.c-head.com/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/98098440/C-Head-Manual-2012

 

regarding wavewackers idea about positioning the head a little differently. I have an idea I'd like to throw out for thoughts. After looking at the plan view of Egress (aka Cindy Lou) I propose the following. I've included a crude drawing to help...

I call it a walk thru head. Here are it's pluses:
1. A nice large standup area for dropping ur pants.
2. A proper shower area when needed.
3. the space used for showering etc is also the walkway so double duty.
4. the sliding doors can be closed for privacy
5. the door to the stern deck can be opened for a quick air out of any lingering odors.
6. no more wet rain gear to deal with as there is room to change in and out of it on the drain and hang it right in the wet locker.
7. the gray water comes from the galley sink and the shower and is used to flush the head...double duty saves water.
8. if a hose connection is used on the handheld shower it could be easily extended and used on deck...outside showers..warm water washdown etc.
9. the entire area is covered in a layer of frp so it' would be easy to washdown and keep clean.

The only obvious drawback is that you wouldn't be able to walk thru if someone was using the head, but that would be a minor inconvenience when compared to the pluses.

 

Grey water stinks...be careful. Grey water may also contain chemicals that effect the compost head

 

A walk through head is possible, but not my first choice for doing one. Many production boats have used this arrangement, but I've never seen one that did it effectively. The main problem is the shower pan, which you have to step over/through and most just aren't intended for "traffic". A better setup might be the "split" plan, with the shower pan off to one side and facilities on the other, with a passageway between.

The are countless ways to make a head. Many mid size yachts use the split plan, while smaller yachts just stuff everything into one, self enclosed space, shower pan, head, sink and all. This is fine, though less convenient than you might think. Most don't like wet paper, seats and towels.

On a boat of this size the combo shower, head is the "efficient" foot print way to go. Special arrangements could be made for paper, towels, etc. A fold down sink is an option too. In most cases, the other half is the determining factor and the skipper will just be stopping, at dock side "facilities" most of the time anyway, so going nuts on a really cool head, might just be less desirable than you'd think.

 

As Paul already knows, I'm tentatively planning to install a shower where he shows a hanging locker. And before it sank in on her I was really going to build the thing and it was going to cost actual money, my wife strongly suggested a door or curtain to block off the head and shower area from the rest of the boat. That would give some privacy while popping in and out of the shower....

 

Curtains, plus good design, are the way to go...I hate doors on small boats. A pull down curtain on a roller might work

 

It would have to be one or the other: a flushing toilet or the composting toilet. You don't normally add water to a composter, although I suppose if it gets too dry in hot weather you might sprinkle a bit in it.

 

Having lived in my motor home half the time for several years now, I agree with you about doors in a confined living space. They're more of a nuisance than anything else. But I think I'd prefer a drape to a pull-down, if there's room for it to be tucked out of the way when open.

 

I forgot . Off course...you want it dry.

It will be interesting to see how easy it is to live with...for instance if you have a gang of pot bellied power dump mates cruise by for the weekend.

The whole modern toilet regulation regime never made sense to me. I still blow overboard like a giant squid.


What was the EVENT that pushed the poo poo legislation thru ?